I retracted my steps like a defeated wrestler returning to his teasing wife. Everything went blank.
“Let’s settle this between ourselves; no third party. I am going to talk to my sisters to accept the part payment. Then I will subsidize the rent with my own portion of the lot. Cool?”
“That’s a 25% discount on the one-year advancement, right?”
“Yeah. And that’ll be all from me, and definitely all between the two of us. Clear?”
A nod.
“Good. Can I have the video now?”
“Sure!”
It’s been exactly fifteen days since we struck the deal and things were moving on smoothly. Apparently, Beryl wasn’t preparing for any exams. It was all a plan to get me closer to her. I hated her mother for the conspiracy but I hated Beryl more for taking me to the apogee of sexual gratification and leaving me hanging in blackmail. I desired her flesh, but not in this manner. Something prompted me I had set a bad precedent for future rent settlements. I had thought about it for fifteen days and found no real solution to calm my fears. Man must live!
The mini confusion outside woke me up. The voices were so loud that the words could not be heard. I could hear Beryl’s mum demanding an answer from someone. There was a persistent cough in the background and a few gossips chipping incessantly at the scene. Was it related to me? My heart was racing for answers.
“Tell me, who did this to you?” Beryl’s mother’s voice was now clearly audible.
Good Lord! Please let my thoughts be wrong. Was Beryl pregnant?
“Answer me before I slap the foolishness out of you. Answer me!”
Beryl was kneeling at the centre of the commotion, probably vomiting. Her mother dragged her from the crowd to the porch. The conference of gossips broke out except a few who wanted the full details.
“Are you ready to talk now?”
Beryl wiped her mouth with her nightie and nodded.
“Better.”
The two headed to the room to the disappointment of the crowd.
My grandmother was the most disappointed and that was my headache. I had always done things to make her proud. I have been her golden boy since childhood and she trusted me, to the extent of agreeing that I go and stay in Teshie alone. Her ‘hmmms’ were all I needed to measure the level of regret.
All Beryl’s mother spoke about was money for the abortion and a compensation for her daughter.
My eldest sister was all against that. Her initial reaction was to blame Beryl for allowing me in.
“Young lady, did my brother rape you or you two had some good sex right in your room?” my sister asked, stressing on “in your room”.
Beryl was motionless.
“Good! Did he entice you in anyway to have sex with you?”
A head shake.
“So can you tell your mother to stop barking as if it was only my brother who enjoyed himself?”
The meeting was a heated one and everybody minus Beryl and I was expressing him or herself. My sisters wanted an abortion and nothing more but Beryl’s mother wanted a compensation of some sort. Finally I decided to speak for myself.
“Firstly, I want to apologize to everyone who is disappointed in my irresponsible actions,” I said looking away from my grandmother. “Before we even go on with this discussion, I want to see a pregnancy result from a qualified doctor. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, I will accept full responsibility of the pregnancy until the baby is born, and then we will have a DNA test to confirm the paternity of the child.”
Beryl looked at her mother in a suspicious manner and I knew my plan worked. Gosh. This woman wanted to reap where she has not sown. The exchange between the two of them was all I needed to fire on.
“Until this is confirmed, I am not paying a dime! We can consider this meeting duly adjourned.”
EPILOGUE:
We waited for three months for the pregnancy result but it didn’t come. It’s been six months and Beryl’s supposed pregnancy has failed to manifest. In the ninth month, I sent her this note – “In the heart of a woman lies deceit, but the scrotum of a man holds the heart of lion and the claws of an eagle. I won!”
THE END!
#PhiladelphiaWrites
#TenantsTales
Written By Stanley Toddison
Check Out The Other Episodes
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 1/7
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 2/7
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 3/7
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 4/7
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 5/7
Our Tenant’s Daughter Episode 6/7